The latest casualty of Brexit has been announced - the direct “Disneyland Express” from the UK to the Magic Kingdom, east of Paris. The Independent reports the Channel Tunnel train operator will abandon the route from June 6, 2023.
Eurostar has put the blame on difficult economic circumstances plus the logistical implications of Brexit and said it was concentrating on the core cities it serves in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The service is extremely popular with British families and it takes less than two-and-a-half hours from St Pancras International to Marne-la-Vallee, the station outside Disneyland Paris.
In 2023 more complex rules are due to come in for visitors to the European Union. The new Entry Exit System (EES) involves a new database for registering travellers from outside the EU and Schengen area as they arrive and depart. A Eurostar spokesperson said: “Whilst we continue to recover financially from the pandemic and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry Exit System, we need to focus on our core routes.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “This appears to be another example of the fallout from Brexit for travelling Brits, and possibly the pandemic, but I remain hopeful that given the UK is a key source market to Disneyland Paris some pragmatic thinking and practical solutions will prevail.”
Passengers from London will be able to travel by rail to Disneyland Paris with a change of train at Lille, but Ben Bradshaw, the former Labour cabinet minister who is a member of the Transport Select Committee, said: “The enormous costs and inconveniences of the Tories’ Brexit deal are clearer by the day. Yet both of the contenders for prime minister are in complete denial, thrashing around blaming foreigners rather than facing the reality of the deal they voted for.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The entry and exit system will help to protect and strengthen the security of our borders by registering the entry, exit and any refused entries of third-country citizens crossing into Europe. We are working closely with port authorities, operators and the French government to make sure passengers are prepared and do not experience unnecessary delays at the border due to new entry and exit system checks being introduced next year.”
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